This invention relates to certain novel 4-aminopicolinates and their derivatives and to the use of these compounds as herbicides.
A number of picolinic acids and their pesticidal properties have been described in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,285,925 discloses 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid derivatives and their use as plant growth control agents and herbicides. U.S. Pat. No. 3,325,272 discloses 4-amino-3,5-dichloropicolinic acid derivatives and their use for the control of plant growth. U.S. Pat. No. 3,317,549 discloses 3,6-dichloropicolinic acid derivatives and their use as plant growth control agents. U.S. Patent 3,334,108 discloses chlorinated dithiopicolinic acid derivatives and their use as parasiticides. U.S. Pat. No. 3,234,229 discloses 4-amino-polychloro-2-trichloromethylpyridines and their use as herbicides. In Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 59, No. 7, July 1993, pp. 2251-2256, 4-amino-3,6-dichloropicolinic acid is identified as a product of the anaerobic degradation of 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid, the commercially available herbicide picloram.
While picloram is recommended for the control of woody plants and broadleaf weeds in certain applications, its properties are not ideal. It would be highly desirable to discover related compounds that are more potent, more selective or of broader spectrum in their herbicidal activity and/or that have improved toxicological or environmental properties.